Homer and the gang take home animated television honors for the 11th consecutive year at the 31st Annual Annie Awards.

Sweeping all nine categories it was nominated in, the Disney/Pixar collaboration Finding Nemo
proved to be the big winner at the 31st annual Annie Awards. Fox's long-running The Simpsons
also had a strong showing at the ceremony, held Saturday night, walking off with four awards in the television categories.

Nemo
took the prizes for animated feature, feature directing, feature writing and music, among others, as well as the award for feature voice performance for Ellen DeGeneres as the voice of Dory. The film earned a total of twelve nominations, receiving multiple nods in the effects and character animation categories.

For the 11th year in a row, Gracie Films' The Simpsons
was honored as animated television series of the year. In addition, the series earned accolades for directing in a television series, writing and for music.

Honorees of the special juried awards include Gene Deitch, Thurl Ravenscroft, Martha Sigall, Scott Johnston, David Derks, the team of Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt and John Hench, who died the Thursday before the event at the age of 95.

Sigall earned the June Foray Award for "significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation." For their lifetime achievements and career contributions to the animation art form, Deitch, Hench and Ravenscroft were awarded the Winsor McCay Award, while Johnston took the Ub Iwerks Award and Judge & Hertzfeldt and Derks received a Certificate of Merit.

Disney executive Marty Sklar accepted Hench's award on behalf of the late animator, who had been an employee of the studio for more than 60 years. Roy Disney also introduced a tribute to Hench, including a clip reel of some of his best work.

A complete list of the nominees and winners follows (winners indicated in
bold):

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

Best Animated Feature

"Brother Bear" - Walt Disney Pictures

"Finding Nemo" - Pixar Animation Studios

"Looney Tunes: Back In Action" - Warner Bros.

"Millennium Actress" - Go Fish Pictures

"Triplets of Belleville" - Les Armateurs

Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Home Entertainment Production

"101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure" - DisneyToon Studios

"The Animatrix" - Silver Pictures/Warner Home Video

"Rolie Polie Olie: The Baby Bot Chase" Nelvana Limited/Sparkling

"Disney's Stitch! The Movie" - Walt Disney Television Animation

Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Short Subject

"Ananda" - Vinton Studios

"Boundin" - Pixar Animation Studios

"Boys Night Out" - Barley Films LTD

"Destino" - Walt Disney Pictures

"Nibbles" - Acme Filmworks

Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Commercial

Bombay "Drift" - Psyop Inc.

Colorado Lottery "Woodcut" - Acme Filmworks

Lamisil: "It's Alive" - Wild Brain Inc.

Wisconsin Lottery "Casino" - Acme Filmworks

Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production

"Captain Sturdy" - Renegade Animation

"The Fairly OddParents" - Nickelodeon

"Samurai Jack" - Cartoon Network Studios

"The Simpsons"
- Gracie Films

"Spider-Man Animated Series" - Adelaide Productions, Inc.

Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production Produced For Children